Phonograph



N. GREY.

PHONOGRAPH.

APPLICATION FILED um. 24, 1919, v 1,361,717. I Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

, 10 Y 7 'INVENTOk.

E Nicholas Grey A TTORNE Y.

N. GREY. PHONOGRAPH.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 24, 1919.

Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR. M'aho/as Grey BY I TTORNEY.

IIUNIITEDQI sTAT s PAT QF-F-ICH manor-As GREY, on NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY.

rnouoemrn.

Specification of Letters 1mm.

. Application filed December 24, .1819. Serial No. 847,185..

' To all 'wlwm it concern:

Beit known that-L'Nicnoms GREY, citizen of the United States, and resident of New Brunswick, in the county of- Middle sex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain j new and useful Improvements in Phonographs, of which the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to sound reproduclng machlnes, and has for its objectthe pro-. v1s1on of automatic means by which phono-' graph disk records. may be continuously played in succession without interruption of the sound when a change is made from one record to another.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a honograph disk record which will act as the means for initiating the change from one playing mechanism and record to another similar mechanism and record. Y

For the attainment of these and other objects, I employ the mechanism shown in its In the practical embodiment of my invention, the cabinet or stand 1 is provided with two sets of the usual sound reproducing mechanism for playing records 2 and 3, which are mounted on the usual pins 4 and turntables 5, by means of which tables said records are revolved.

The sound arms 6 and 7 and the reproducing diaphragms 8 and 9 are of the type ordinarily used forthat purpose. The turntables 5 are revolved by means of the usual motors 10 not shown in detail and are adapted to receive records 2 and 3. Each 'of said.

records as 2 is rovided with a centrally located hub 11, i 5, thicker than the remainder of the disk record. The inclined surface 12 joins the upper face of hub -11 with the playing face of the record and has a spiral groove 13 therein which 1s a continuation of the playing groove in the record. .Sgpiral I groove 31 of comparatively steep pitch is provided at the outer rim of Patented Dec. -7,1920.

record 3 for rapidly leading the needle into the playing groove of the record. It is obvious that both sides of said record may be made as described, if desired, as-is shown by the drawings.

The automatic'mechanism for beginning I the'playing of one record immediatelyafter the playing of the other has been comhpleted is madein two sets, ,oneright hand,

and one left hand, Fig. 4. In said mechanism, arm 14 has aright anglebend 15'at the end thereof sha ed on the under side to fit sound arms 6 an 7, said arm 1.4.being adjustably attached to the U-shaped lever 16 t at the threaded ortion 17, by means of nut 18 above the for ed portion 32 at the end'of arm 14, and nut 19 under said fork. Hook arm 20 having a right angle bend 21 at the end thereof, has aslot 22 insaid bend through which the playing needle of diaphragm 8 or 9 may be passed, the diaphragm being supported by said bend. Said arm 20 is attached to lever 16 by passing forked end 33 around the threaded, end 23 of said lever and securing-the arm in place by means of nuts 24 and 25. The upri ht portions of lever 16 pass throughsuita le openings in the cabinet top, said lever being pivotally supported at its middle by bracket 26 attachedto the under side of said cabinet top. Protection plates 34 and 35 of suitable material are attached to the upper side of sound arms 6 and 7 respectively for preventi'ng undue wear thereof, when said sound arms engage arms 14. For preventing undirected rocking of lever 16, a light spring 31 supported by block 27 presses against'projection 28 of the horizontal 'portion'of said lever. The usual operating levers 29 and 30 are provided for starting and stopping the revolution of the records.

The 0 eration of my improved mechanism is as fo ows:.-

.Record 2. having been placed'in'position on table 5,'sound arm 6 is swung until the needle of diaphragm 8 can be inserted into slot 22 of arm bend 21, and the diaphragm su ported by said bend, arm 20 belng raised su icientl to enable the needle to clear the record. lie I record revolving, and arm 20 slightly depressed until the needle enters the playing groove of the record, whichgroove gradually leads the needle toward the central part ver 29 is now shifted to start the of said record. After playing of the record is begun, record 3 is placed on its turntable 5 and sound arm 7 swung into proper position for'starting the playing of said record, wherein it is, supported by arm which has been raised so that the needle of diaphragm 9 clears record 3. Lifting of arm 20 raises the corresponding end of lever 16 whereby the other end of said lever is lowered andarm 14 with its bend l5 placed in such a position that when record 2 is com-' pletely played, the needle of diaphragm 8 runs up the beveled surface12 along groove 13, thereby raising arm 6 which in turn raises bend 15, arm 14 and the corresponding end of lever 16, whereby the other end i of said lever is lowered as is hook arm- 20 and diaphragm 9 supported thereby, the needle being slowly dropped on to record 3, which has first been caused to revolve by shifting lever 30 just before the playing of record 2 has been completed.

It is obvious that the operation of lowering .arm 7 to'begin the playing of record 3 is automatic, so that the playing of records 2 and 3 in succession is uninterrupted. Record '2 may now be replaced by another record while record 3 is being played, and the operation repeated, so that a concert lasting through any interval may be continuously played or a speech of any length reproduced without interruption.

Adjustment of arms Hand 20 is provided for, so that the action above described may take place smoothly, and adjustment made for records varying somewhat in diameter.

What I claim is:

phonograph records in uninterrupted succession, a substantially flat disk record, a hub at the center of said record thicker than the remainder thereof, a beveled surface having spiral groove therein joining the face of said hub with the face of said disk, a

sound reproducing mechanism, means for engaging said spiral groove for lifting said reproducing mechanism, and means operatively connected to-said reproducing mechanism forlowering a second reproducing mechanism on to a second record when said first mentioned reproducing mechanism is lifted.

2. In an automatic device for playing phonograph records in uninterrupted succession, sound reproducing mechanism, a

' substantially fiat disk record thicker at the center than at the remainder of said record,

means for causing said reproducing mechanism to ride up on said thicker ortion after said record has been played, an means operable by the lifting of said mechanism for starting the laying of a second record immediately a ter the playing of the first record has been completed comprising an arm arranged to be lifted by said mechanism, a second reproducing mechanism, and a pivoted lever operatively connecting said arm and said secondreproducing mechafrom said lever, each of said arms being ar ranged to engage one of said reproducing mechanisms.

4. In an automatic device for playing phonograph records in uninterruptedsuccession, a sound reproducing mechanism, a record, means on said record for lifting said reproducing mechanism after said record has been played, and means for automatically beginning the playing of a second record immediately after said first-mentioned record hasbeen played comprising an arm for engaging sald reproducing mechanism, a lever pivoted near the middle thereof attached at one end to said arm, a hook arm attached to the other end of said lever arranged to be lowered when said reproducing mechanism is raised and a sec- 0nd reproducing .Inechanism .supported by 1. In an automatic device for playing said hook arm.

5. In an automatic device for playing phonograph records in uninterrupted 'suc- ,CGSS1OI1, playing mechanism arranged to be lifted when a record has been completely 6. In a sound reproducing machine, a

disk record, a hub at the center of said record, a beveled surface having a spiral groove therein joining the face of said hub with the face of said disk, a sound reproducmg mechan1sm, a needle carried by said reproducmg mechamsm runnlng in said splral groove for lifting said reproducing.

mechanism after said record has been played, and means operable by the lifting of sald-mechamsm for starting the playing of a second record immediately after the second sound reproducing mechanism supplaying of said first-mentioned. record has ported b said hook arm; been completed, comprising an arm ar- 4 Signe at New Brunswick, in the county 10 ranged" to be lifted by said mechanism, a of Middlesex and State of New Jersey this lever'pivoted at the middle thereof and at- 22d day of Dec. A. D. 1919. 1

tached to said arm to be rocked thereby, a a

hook arm attached to said lever, and a NICHOLAS GREY. 

